Learn mastery from a true master of the craft

There is a reason why Orson Scott Card is so widely read. Not because of the prolific stories he has produced, rather by the quality of his characterization. Here, we get a glimpse into why his stories are so rich. With the tools he describes within this book we understand how he has become such a master of the craft. My own stories will be far richer as I employ the techniques he so eloquently and generously shares. Thank you sir, for helping me to become a better writer!

I've just finished reading this book for maybe the fourth time, and every reading has been worthwhile. I was at first perplexed by some of the reviews expressing the opinion that this book was basic, and so the reviewers skimmed it. Sure, it starts out with basics (duh!), but even there it contains little tidbits that make those parts worth reading even for the professional. I can only assume that those reviewers thought it was basic because they skimmed it, and so they missed all the comments on the errors that even professional writers too often make. This book is a gold mine. If you skim it, you'll only see the tunnels, so read it carefully. Mine every nugget.

Orson Scott Card's 'Character's & Viewpoint' is one of the best books that I have read on writing. I have read so many books on this subject, but after finishing them, they left me feeling bedazzled with no where to turn when it came to writing my own novel. This book provides in-depth insight into one of the most important aspects of fiction writing. It shows you what you need to think about on a wider spectrum, and more importantly, how you choose certain elements to suit your story and your writing style. The section on point of view was very strong, to the point that it helped me decide on a point of view for my first novel - one that would also reflect how I naturally write. This book has left me so excited to write on, and combined with another favourite 'writing genre' book that I own, I feel I have the tools to do what I set out to do many years ago. I have been waiting for this book for many years, thankfully discovering it sitting on a charity shop shelf in Bedfordshire. Now it will be cherished :) Thank you for the inspiration, Orson. 5* recommendation.

It took me three years to finish reading this book because I forgot about it half way through! So now that I've finished it, I need to go back and read the first half again. Despite putting it down (for probably losing interest when I wasn't writing a year or so back) I still think it's a 5 star book for those who are committed to developing as a writer. A lot better than all those writing advice books out there by writers who haven't written hardly anything. So find some reputable writers like Card, King, etc. and read what they have to say about writing. Good stuff.

A practical and specific guide to believable characters and plot twists, and to telling their story in a good way.
Detailed review on my blog: http://nouw.com/cwidmann/orson-scott-...

So packed with ideas and tips.

I initially thought I'd go through this taking notes, or applying it to a particular story as I wrote along, but I ended up just really wanting to get it read and off my pile - so that's what I ended up doing, although reading from cover to cover like its a novel is clearly not how it's really meant to be read, and will likely overwhelm.

Very basic how-to-write characters book. The POV chapters at the end were the most informative. It’s one thing to recognize it in writing. It’s another to apply it well. If you were wanting to publish a book, I wouldn’t recommend this as your only education on character and viewpoint, although it may be good starting point.

As a new writer I liked this very much. I thought there were a lot of good points and coverage of character and viewpoints. It got me thinking and editing my book. I think it certainly helped me have a more professional looking story.

This book was packed. Packed and very helpful. I had many moments where I had to set aside this book to redirect my attention back to my writing to incorporate my learnings.

I have been working on my first ever novel for over 4 years and feel like this craft book is finally helping me get a grasp on my characters for this series.

I realy enjoyed reading this book. It was a comprehensive review of all the different ways you can build characters and present them in your story, and it used examples I actually know, whichwas an added bonus. I’ll admit that I didn’t fully agree with the author’s views of the drawbacks of first person narration. Though what he said can certainly be true, I don’t thin first person naration pulls me out of the stry nearly as often as he implies. On the whole though, a good book that gave me lots of things to think about.

This book is a must have for new or relatively new writers.

I found in it a deep knowledge of the subject, and lots of inspiration to create deeper characters that will grab the hearts and minds of my readers. The book also warns new writers about mistakes that are often made, especially when using people you know as characters in your novels. It shows you the various aspects at play in creating a character, and gives you a wide range of ways to find ideas for characters.

This book is well worth the money spend.

As an author, I like to read books that help me improve my craft. This book is written in an easy-to-read style while imparting a lot of knowledge. I enjoyed the writing samples sprinkled throughout the book that conveyed information more readily.
For my Land of Magadha series, I choose first-person POV because a few fantasies I had read used it. This book discussed all the POV and its merits. I might use third-person limited POV for my next series based on what I learned here.
I recommend this book for aspiring writers and current writers.